“Dude! Did you just hang up on him?”
“No. I told him what I was going to do and ended the call.”
“Yeah, that’s called hanging up on someone.”
The phone rang again, and the ringtone somehow sounded angrier.
“Come on. They’re gonna be here later, and I just want to walk with someone.”
“Why don’t you walk with Adam when he gets back?” I asked, pressing the button to silence the phone.
“Yeah, maybe when he gets here, but you’re here now. So let’s go.”
The phone rang again.
“Hold on,” I said, holding the phone to my ear. “Adam?”
“What the fuck?” he screamed, his voice a slightly higher pitch than before. I held the phone away from my ear as he continued yelling. “The asshole hung up on me!”
“He’s just missing you.” I glared at Austin, who rolled his eyes.
“He sure has a funny way of showing it.”
Austin pulled me toward the door, and I hurried Adam off the line. “I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
The other end went dead silent.
“Okay?” I asked, expecting some kind of answer, but the connection went dead. “Austin.”
“What?”
“When he gets back, you need to try to get along better with him. He may just be your kuu mate, but he also cares about you.”
“Whatever,” he grunted, letting out a heavy breath.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a barbeque restaurant where I saw a bunch of werewolves last time. I thought maybe I’d take you there for lunch after we browse the town a bit. I need to pick up some things from the hardware store.”
“Oh, Roscoe’s been wanting to go to that barbeque place since we got here,” I said, locking the door behind me. “Are you sure you’re okay going into public? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine.” He kept his eyes forward. I could tell he was forcing himself into this situation, and while I was elated he was trying, I didn’t want him to be a mess of anxiety.
“If you start to get nervous, tell me and we’ll leave.”
Austin nodded without another word.
Later that afternoon
“Oh God, I’m so stuffed,” I muttered before a loud belch left my throat. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much in my life.”
Austin was sitting on the couch next to me with his feet up on the coffee table and a contented look on his face. He hadn’t said much since we got back; in fact, most of our walk and time at the restaurant had been spent in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, and I didn’t expect him to turn into a chatty Cathy after just one day. This was going to take some time, but at least he made the effort.
Muffled angry chatter from outside grew louder, and Austin’s ears pointed upward before turning toward the door. He didn’t react at all; instead, he turned up the television volume.
“Sounds like they’re home,” I said right as the door swung open.
“Hold on, I got another one fer ya,” Roscoe said as he followed a very irate Adam inside. “Did you hear about the dairy cow that jumped over the barbed wire fence?”
